On May 23rd the Mentorship Programme which was attended by the Master’s students of the Fashion Business area alongside Riccardo Grassi, CEO of the hyponymous Showroom, Entrepreneur & Buyer will end with a Grand Finale. The Programme, which involved Riccardo as Mentor of three exclusive projects, was built around the reality of the showroom, the core business of his 30-year experience.

The project, started last October and designed to be a meeting point between the academic experience and the business world, involved students in a series of Masterclasses aimed at deepening different aspects of the wonderful yet articulated world of buying, exploring in each appointment a topic around which Riccardo, together with the Faculty of Istituto Marangoni Milano • The School of Fashion, launched several briefs to the School’s young talents.

During the first serie of Masterclass entitled "I love buying" for students of the Master’s courses in Fashion Buying & Merchandising, Fashion Product Management and Fashion Omnichannel & E-Commerce, Riccardo faced the evolution of the fashion system sharing his experience and involving young talents in the study of the current portfolio of brands of RG Showroom. He then asked them to propose specific concept stores and e-commerce platforms starting from the analysis of competitors and consumers, through the criteria of buying and shopping experience.

For their part, the students of the Master’s courses in Fashion & Luxury Brand Management and in Fashion Business & Digital Marketing took part in the second serie of Masterclass entitled "Behind the scene of the fashion system" focused on the role and importance of the showroom for an emerging brand. For the occasion, Riccardo chose to involve in the Masterclass Alessandro Vigilante, Creative Director of the homonymous brand, to share his story and expertise with students and also interesting hints for the development of their projects.

Finally, the students of the Master’s courses in Fashion Promotion Communication & Digital Media and in Fashion Business & Entrepreneurship were given the opportunity to work alongside Riccardo during the Masterclass serie "Building an omnichannel fashion experience" aimed at deepening the synergy between concept stores, trade fairs and e-commerce presence within an integrated strategy. The young talents then presented Riccardo ad hoc content for blogs and social media as well as an elevator pitch designed for a brand of his showroom.

These days students are finalizing the projects based on the feedback and suggestions given by Riccardo at the Mid-Review on the last 5th of May and are preparing to deliver their final works at the Grand Finale next week, when the best project will be awarded.

Starting from mid-June, Riccardo will give the participants the opportunity to visit the RG Showroom that will showcase the collections presented during the next Milan Men Fashion Week. The Showroom’s visit, a landmark of this Mentorship Programme, will give the School’s talents the opportunity to dive into a symbolic, experiential and formative place thus enriching young talents’ professional and personal experience.